A Study to Determine the Incidence and Prevalence
of Newly Discovered Human Immunodeficiency
Virus Infection During the Prenatal Care Period

1Department of Management and Policy Sciences, School of Public Health, The University of Texas—Houston Health Science Center, Houston, TX, USA2Department of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, The University of Texas—Houston Health Science Center, Houston, TX, USA3Department of Pediatrics, University of Chicago Children's Hospital, Chicago, IL, USA4Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Florida College of Medicine, Pensacola, FL, USA5RAS-345, PO Box 20186, Houston, Texas 77225-0186, USA

Abstract

Objectives: This study asked the following questions: 1) Does HIV testing in pregnancy identify
women who previously were not known to be HIV positive? 2) When in pregnancy are women
identified as HIV infected? 3) Does HIV seroconversion occur during the prenatal care period?

Methods: Medical records of 97 women from two primarily indigent care hospitals in Houston,
TX who were found to be HIV positive at delivery were reviewed to determine if they had tested
positive during the prenatal care period. Demographics and time of gestation of the prenatal testing
also were recorded. The outcome measures were: 1) number of women found positive during
prenatal care; 2) week of gestation at discovery of HIV positivity; and 3) number of women
seroconverting between the initiation of prenatal care and delivery.

Results: Thirty women were known to be HIV positive prior to pregnancy. Fifty-six women were
found to be positive during prenatal care and the seropositivity of 44 was discovered before the 34th
week of pregnancy. Ten women were found to be positive at their first prenatal visit, which occurred
after the 34th week. Date of testing was unknown for two women. Eleven women who
received no prenatal care were found to be HIV positive at delivery. There were no seroconversions
while women were under prenatal care.

Conclusions: HIV testing at delivery did not find any HIV-positive women who had tested
negative during prenatal care. Testing is very important for women who do not receive prenatal
care. Making certain that high-risk women get into prenatal care also is very important. Infect. Dis.
Obstet. Gynecol. 8:172–175, 2000.